Wetted Flocculant

After dispersing the solid flocculant, wastewater treatment facilities need only use minimum agitation to assure a uniform solution concentration. A low flow of compressed air or a mechanical mixer can be used. Mechanical mixers or air spargers can be used for agitation during solution preparation. Dissolving dry flocculants does not require violent agitation by high-speed mechanical mixers; the mixing equipment need only generate a moderate rolling action throughout the makeup tank. Figure 7.34.10 shows a typical flocculant feed system using a manual disperser.

Flocculant solutions are highly viscous, and ordinary flow regulating valves and meters are usually not adequate to control the small volumes of these solutions. Wastewater treatment facilities should feed flocculant solutions with accurate chemical metering pumps. Positive displacement pumps such as progressive cavity, rotary gear, or piston pumps are all suitable.

The chemical feed pump should have a variable flow rate control mechanism. For treating less than 700 gpm of water or waste, wastewater treatment facilities can use pumps equipped with dial-controlled, variable-speed drive that can be adjusted while in operation. They should select the pump size so that normal operations use 30 to 50% of the pump capacity. This size provides freedom to decrease or increase the pumping rates as required. Wastewater treatment facilities can use automatic flow ratio control systems for treating larger volumes.

Wastewater treatment facilities often use a feed tank with twice the mixing tank capacity to maintain a continuous supply of solution. Figure 7.34.11 shows a floc-culant feed system that uses a manual disperser and a separate feed tank. The solution in the feed tank need not be agitated since the flocculants form true solutions. Environmental engineers can determine tank capacities for flocculant solutions by estimating the average flocculant concentration required in the receiving waste.